Gujarat: CM Bhupendra Patel keeps Home; Kanubhai Patel new Finance Minister

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday allocated portfolios to 24 newly-inducted ministers, keeping a host of departments including Home with himself and without appointing any deputy. Kanubhai Desai was allocated Finance and Energy and Petrochemicals portfolios.

Besides the Home ministry, CM Patel will hold the charge of General Administration Department, Information and Broadcast, Industries, Mines and Minerals, Capital Projects, Urban Development, Urban Housing and Narmada and Ports, an official release said. The allocation was announced in the first cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar after the ministers were sworn in earlier in the day.

Rajendra Trivedi, who was Assembly Speaker during the previous Vijay Rupani government, was allocated Revenue, Law and Justice, and Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs departments as a cabinet-rank minister. Jitubhai Vaghani was given the Education portfolio as cabinet minister, while Rishikesh Patel was given Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education as well as Water Resources and Water Supply. Purnesh Modi will handle Roads and Building, Transport, Civil Aviation, Tourism and Pilgrimage Development. Raghavji Patel will handle Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. Another cabinet-rank minister, Kiritsinh Rana, has been given Forest, Environment, Climate Change, and Printing and Stationery departments. Naresh Patel will hold Tribal Development and Food and Civil Supply. Pradip Parmar has been made Social Justice and Empowerment Minister while Arjunsinh Chauhan was allocated the Rural Development and Rural Housing.

Harsh Sanghavi, youngest member of the ministry, would be the Minister of State (MoS), Home. He would also handle the Disaster Management and Police Housing.

Sanghavi was also allocated independent charge as MoS of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities, NRI, Excise and Prohibition, Border Security and Prisons. MoS Jagdish Panchal has been given independent charge of Cottage Industries, Cooperation, Salt Industry and Protocol. He will also handle Industries, Forest and Environment, Climate Change and Printing and Stationery portfolios. MoS Brijesh Merja has been given independent charge of Labour and Employment as well as Panchayats. He will also handle Rural Development and Rural Housing as an MoS. Jitu Chaudhary has been made MoS for Kalpsar and Fisheries with independent charge and also given the responsibility of Narmada, Water Resources and Water Supply as MoS. MoS Manishaben Vakil has been given the independent charge of Women and Child Development. She would also handle Social Justice and Empowerment as junior minister. While Mukesh Patel has been made MoS for Agriculture and Energy and Petrochemicals departments, Nimisha Suthar was given Tribal Development, Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education as junior minister. MoS Arvind Raiyani has been alloted Transport, Civil Aviation, Tourism and Pilgrimage Development. Kuber Dindor will handle Higher and Technical Education as well as Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs as an MoS. Kirtisinh Vaghela has been made MoS for Primary, Secondary and Adult Education while Gajendrasinh Parmar is MoS for Food and Civil Supply. R C Makwana has been given Social Justice and Empowerment as MoS. Vinod Moradia has been made MoS for Urban Development and Urban Housing. Deva Malam will be MoS for Animal Husbandry.